By Eliza Hallabeck

Each year Hawley Elementary School fourth grade students complete community service projects as part of the school's social studies curriculum.

Recently, fourth grade teacher Michael Wight said students are typically assigned the projects about a week before Thanksgiving and the projects are always due before the week of winter break, at the end of December.

The program has been at the school for years, and each year, Mr Wight said, the students come up with a range of ideas. This year was no different.

Mr Wight said he remembers one special project from 2010 that brought a blood drive to be hosted at the school. When the community service project program was first started, Mr Wight said, "We were trying to think of a way to bring in what community is as part of the government piece." It grew from there.

When first describing the project for students each year, Mr Wight said the fourth grade teachers focus on what being a citizen means. The conversation then moves to teaching what being part of their communities and groups means, and how they can improve their community or group.

The classes then brainstorm and list potential project ideas. Students can choose from the list or come up with their own projects, Mr Wight said. There have been some big projects over the years, he added, and each project has impacted the community in some way.

This year fourth grade student Brendan McAnaspie collected items for care packages for members of the military. Other projects included students helping their neighbors, volunteering with Meals On Wheels, spending time as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign, and raking yards.

Fourth grader Kayla Bova created wooden blocks on which she wrote inspirational quotes. She then donated the blocks to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford to help support the children there, according to Mr Wight. Mitchell Greenhaw made holiday cards to send to members of the military, while Oliver Clancy cleared the entrance to Al's Trail.

"The things these kids come up with is awesome," said Mr Wight.

Fellow fourth grade teacher Michael Poeltl said many of his students completed projects that supported the Newtown Animal Control shelter. Another student, Andrew Corey, was inspired to honor a member of the military. Mr Poeltl said Andrew made sure that a grave he found in the Newtown Village Cemetery marked as a veteran's grave was cleared and had a wreath placed on it after being inspired by the Wreaths Across America program, which honors veterans through laying wreaths on the graves of the fallen yearly on December 17, according to its website, wreathsacrossamerica.org.

"I like it, because the kids get to pursue what they are actually interested in," said Mr Poeltl.

For her project, Willow Assante-LaBash said she thought of a number of ideas before landing on a final decision. Willow is in Gina Shanahan's fourth grade class. The class is overseen by long-term building substitute Kim Whitmore. Willow said she wanted to bring police officers and students together to learn from one another.

"I thought these were two different groups," said Willow, further sharing that she arranged for members of the Newtown Police Department to visit her classroom on Monday, December 12. She added later, "I thought it would be pretty cool to have different people come together to be friends."

Willow said she feels friendships are like fireworks that expand and keep going when groups come together.

After learning about what the officers do, and heard Patrolmen Adam Greco and Adam James and Newtown Middle School Resource Officer William Chapman speak to the students about being good citizens, she said, "I learned we can help the community by being the great students we are."

The police officers, Willow said, also told the students one way to help in the community is to find one person to say "thank you" to. For the visit, Willow also baked a chocolate and vanilla layered cake by herself to thank the officers for their service to the community and for their visit to Hawley. She also had a special banner made to welcome the officers to the school. After the visit Willow had students sign her banner, which she and her mother, Michele Assante, then delivered to the Newtown Police Department.

Fellow fourth grader Emily Wight, who is Mr Wight's daughter and is also in Ms Shanahan's class, made cookies for the staff at Cocomo Nursing Home in Meriden, where her great-grandmother is living, for her project. Emily also visited the nursing home, was a caller for Bingo, and shared Ben's Bells Kindness Coins with staff members she saw performing kind acts. Emily also made a sign for the nursing home that read "Thank you for taking care of our special family members. Happy Holidays."

Mr Wight said that after the program many of the students continue performing community service projects. When students see how tangible their projects can be, they remember.